The Jersey Scene series box set

by Georgina Troy

  The child coughed, crying noisily, reassuring Gabriel that he was perfectly fine, if a little shocked by his accident. He checked that the little boy wasn’t cut anywhere and looked up at the mother. ‘He’s fine,’ he soothed. ‘I’ll get him a towel and maybe he should sit quietly with you for a few minutes until the shock has worn off.’

  There was a commotion behind him.

  ‘You stupid bloody woman,’ Gabriel heard a man say. He was about to look and see what was going on when he noticed Daisy gasp. The colour faded instantly from her face and Gabriel stood up and walked over to check if she was all right.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ he asked quietly.

  She shivered despite the heat of the day, but didn’t say anything. Staring in the same direction her large eyes widened. Gabriel turned to see what was upsetting her so much. There was an older man, his face puce with rage, arguing with the mother of the boy he’d just rescued.

  ‘He’ll calm down,’ he said, assuming the man’s reaction must be what was bothering her so much. ‘He’s just had a fright, that’s all.’

  Daisy didn’t speak. She stared past Gabriel towards the pool. Then silently focusing her attention on the man and woman, who was blowing her nose on a tissue while her son settled down on the sun lounger next to her.

  ‘Daisy?’ Gabriel asked, trying to take her attention from the scene that was disturbing her so much. ‘What’s the matter?’

  She shook her head. ‘I don’t believe it,’ she murmured. ‘I never saw them arrive. Fi must have checked them in.’

  He had no idea what she was going on about. He stood in front of her to block her view. ‘Daisy,’ he whispered.

  She sighed heavily. ‘Sorry, Gabe.’

  ‘Tell me, maybe I can help.’

  She shook her head slowly. ‘No one can help me with this,’ she said quietly, almost under her breath.

  He looked over his shoulder at the arguing couple. ‘Why are they bothering you so much?’ He wanted to put an arm around her to comfort her but didn’t dare overstep the boundary she’d put up between them. ‘Do you know them?’

  She nodded slowly. ‘Yes,’ she said after a moment’s hesitation.

  ‘Who are they?’ They looked perfectly ordinary to him. The man was a few years older than the woman. In fact, she looked a bit like the classic trophy wife, very blonde, and sexy in an obvious way. Their rowing wasn’t noisy enough to bother other guests and the boy didn’t seem at all fazed by their exchange, so he didn’t feel like he should be asking them to quieten down. ‘Do you want to come to my dad’s office and talk about this?’ he offered, wanting to help her.

  ‘No, that’s not necessary,’ she said, staring blatantly at them.

  Gabe moved so that his back was towards the couple and they couldn’t see Daisy staring at them. ‘Daisy, come along. You can’t keep watching them so openly, it looks odd.’

  ‘He’s my father,’ she murmured.

  Had he heard right? ‘Sorry?’

  She looked him straight in the eyes and said loud enough for the couple to hear her. ‘He’s my father.’

  ‘That’s what I thought you’d said,’ he replied, turning slowly as he became aware that the arguing had ceased. The man was now peering around Gabriel trying to see who’d just spoken. Aware that Daisy didn’t care if they’d heard her, Gabriel stepped back to let her face the older man. He was surprised when neither of them spoke, but simply studied each other. She’d never mentioned her father before and he’d assumed he must be dead.

  ‘Daisy?’ The man eventually said. ‘What are you doing here?’

  Gabriel looked at Daisy to see how she’d react, but her cold expression didn’t change. He couldn’t help wondering what sort of relationship she had with this man. It wasn’t good, that much was obvious. He was distracted by a wimper and turned to the couple. The man’s wife looked as if she was about to pass out.

  Gabriel said, ‘Maybe you’d like to come into the office, sit down and have a chat?’

  He wasn’t sure what they wanted to do but standing outside around the pool area with other guests arriving wasn’t the best audience for them to have this reunion. When no one reacted, apart from the boy showing interest in the girl who had helped haul him out of the pool, Gabriel added, ‘Grab your things and follow me.’

  He didn’t wait for them to reply, but started collecting their towels. The man moved first, glaring at the woman and murmured for her to be quiet and that he’d explain everything later. Gabriel presumed by her reaction that he’d never thought to mention anything about Daisy’s existence.

  He glanced at Daisy and seeing she was still glaring at the couple, walked over to her and putting a hand behind her back, pushed her gently to get her moving.

  She looked up at him in surprise, as if she’d just registered his presence even though they’d spoken only moments before. ‘Where are we going?’

  ‘Inside; somewhere private. You look as if you’d like to talk.’

  ‘About what?’ she frowned.

  He lowered his head to hers. ‘I think you’ve come as something of a surprise to this man’s wife and son.’

  ‘You can say that again.’

  Gabriel pushed her gently and she began walking inside, slowly, staring at the man as she passed. He gave his daughter a sheepish look and then focused his attention on collecting his wife and son’s belongings together.

  ‘But I want to swim,’ the boy whined.

  ‘Later.’ His mother snapped. ‘Your father has something he wishes to discuss with us.’

  Gabriel wasn’t sure that the boy needed to be a witness to what was coming next. He glanced at his watch and said, ‘The lifeguard should be on duty any second. If you like, your son can wait with Fi at Reception until he arrives. She’ll make sure the lifeguard keeps an eye on him while you’re not there.’

  The mother nodded.

  They followed Gabriel inside, Daisy occasionally giving looks at the couple who were now whispering furiously. Her father dragged the boy along with them towards the reception area.

  Gabriel asked Fi to watch over him until the lifeguard arrived for his shift. ‘Please also send in a tray of tea and biscuits to the office,’ he said. ‘And don’t put through any calls until I say.’

  Fi, intrigued, nodded. ‘You all right?’ she asked Daisy.

  ‘Fine,’ Daisy said looking anything but. ‘I’ll be back as soon as I can.’

  ‘It’s fine, I’ll ask Jo to come and cover for you if I need to.’

  The four adults made their way to the office. He indicated for them to take a seat on one side of the desk and for Daisy to sit in his father’s chair. Gabriel then went into the next-door office to collect a fourth chair for him to sit on.

  He re-entered the silent room and realised that he needed to take charge if they were going to get anywhere. ‘OK, it seems to me that Daisy is surprised to see you here,’ he said to her father. ‘Mr, erm …’

  ‘Baxter. Peter Baxter,’ said the man, trying to take his wife’s hand, but she snatched it away and glowered at him in supressed rage. He cleared his throat. ‘This is my wife,’ he said by way of introduction to Daisy. ‘Stella.’

  ‘Yes,’ said the woman finally finding her voice. ‘And that poor unsuspecting child out there, who,’ she said directing her venom at Peter, ‘almost drowned not ten minutes ago, is in shock to discover that he is not after all an only child but has a sister who must be, what? Twenty, twenty-one?’

  ‘Twenty-six,’ Daisy replied.

  ‘So,’ continued Stella at her red-faced husband. ‘I’d like to know who Daisy’s mother is and why you hadn’t thought to mention either her or her daughter to me or our son before now?’

  Peter shrugged. ‘I meant to tell you.’

  ‘When? Next week, next year?’

  He shook his head. ‘I’m sorry, darling; I really was going to –’

  ‘But it was easier to pretend I didn’t exist,’ Daisy interrupted. ‘Isn’t that more like i
t, Dad?’ She put the emphasis on the word and the man winced.

  ‘Daisy, I’m sorry, really I am.’ He took a deep breath. ‘You know it wasn’t all my fault.’

  She immediately stood up. ‘Don’t you dare start blaming Mum for this; I won’t have it,’ she shouted. ‘She brought me up single-handedly, while you went about your happy daily life without a care in the world.’

  ‘That’s not true,’ he said looking red in the face. Gabriel wasn’t certain but he suspected Peter might be close to tears.

  ‘Daisy,’ Gabriel said, trying to calm the tension in the room.

  She turned on him. ‘And you know nothing whatsoever about my life, so don’t start trying to pacify me, Gabriel.’ Her expression softened. ‘I don’t mean to snap at you.’ She looked back at her father and Gabriel couldn’t miss the hurt in her pretty face as she said, ‘She died, you know.’

  Peter gasped and now Gabriel was sure he was about to cry. ‘No,’ Peter whispered, his voice cracking with emotion. ‘Penny died? When?’

  Daisy sat back down. Gabe could see she regretted telling him in such a cruel way. ‘A few months ago. I don’t want to discuss it in front of others, but I’ll tell you more when we’re alone.’

  ‘Well, really,’ Stella said. ‘I think it’s a bit much you wishing to discuss someone who, by the sounds of things, was my husband’s mistress.’ She narrowed her eyes and added, ‘Not while we were together I hope?’

  Gabriel saw Daisy clench her fists. ‘She was not his mistress, thank you very much. She was his fiancée, became pregnant with me and before they could be married, your husband buggered off to find himself.’

  ‘I came back though, Daisy, surely she told you that.’

  Daisy glowered at him. ‘Not until I was born and she’d had her trust for you shattered. Why would she take you back and fret that you could leave again at any time?’

  He leant forward. ‘But I wouldn’t have done; I loved Penny with all my heart.’

  Stella cried out. ‘Peter, how could you say such a thing?’

  Gabriel could see by the look of horror on Peter’s face that he’d forgotten for a moment that Stella was in the room with them and regretted his outpouring about Daisy’s mother. ‘Darling, I didn’t mean … Well, that is to say …’

  Stella wiped away tears. ‘Did you love her more than me?’

  He shook his head. ‘No, of course not, dear. I loved her, but then I met you after Clarissa died.’

  ‘Clarissa?’ Gabriel asked, thinking that maybe he’d made matters worse by insisting they all come to the office to chat.

  Stella addressed Gabriel as if the other two people in the room weren’t there. ‘His first marriage was a disaster, but she was so devastated about miscarrying all her pregnancies that he didn’t feel he could leave her.’ She looked at Daisy. ‘She died too.’

  ‘So, I gather,’ Daisy said, her expression cold. ‘So, how long have you two been together then?’ she asked. ‘I take it that the little boy out there is my half-brother?’

  Stella sat up straighter in her chair. ‘Alfie is our son. He’s six and we’ve been together for seven years.’

  ‘So, before Clarissa died, then?’ Daisy sneered.

  Gabriel could see she was struggling with her emotions and guessed it was because Daisy had just discovered that Peter must have still been seeing her mother when he’d begun a relationship with Stella. He wondered what the story was behind this situation and resolved to speak to her later, hoping she’d confide in him.

  He stood up. ‘I think you’ve all been dealt a few unexpected blows today, so maybe you’d like to take some time to let everything sink in. If you need to meet up again and use my office, please let me know, or if there’s anything else I can do to help the situation in any way.’

  ‘Thank you,’ Peter said, offering his hand for Gabriel to shake. He looked at Daisy. ‘I really am sorry, sweetheart. I honestly didn’t know about your mum.’ He hesitated. ‘She was a very private lady.’

  ‘She was,’ Daisy said, ‘But when she was dying she asked after you many times. I left messages at your office for you to call me but you never did.’

  He frowned. ‘I promise I never received any messages.’

  ‘Well, I did leave them.’

  ‘I’ll look into it, see what happened to them.’

  Gabriel thought that if he was trying to pacify Daisy he wasn’t going the right way about it and wondered just how well this man did know his daughter. They’d obviously spent some time together over the years because she seemed to be fairly familiar with him, if a little distant, but something wasn’t right, that was certain.

  ‘I shouldn’t bother,’ Daisy said. ‘It’s too late now anyway.’ She walked towards the door. ‘I think I’d better go in case I say something I might regret.’ She looked at Gabriel. ‘Thank you for letting us chat in here,’ she said. ‘And I’m sorry I was rude earlier; none of this is your fault.

  He followed her to the door. ‘It’s fine. Anything I can do to help.’ He instinctively took her by the shoulders and bent down to give her a kiss on her cheek. ‘Maybe we can chat a little later?’

  ‘That would be nice,’ she said, walking out of the room without saying anything further to her father or his wife.

  Gabriel turned and held the door open. He looked at the couple, both lost in their own torment. ‘I hope you all find a way to overcome what’s happened.’

  Peter waited for Stella to leave the room. ‘So, do I,’ he said.

  Gabriel closed the door after them and walked over to the office window, staring out at the carpark at the back. He hadn’t seen Daisy going to her room, so assumed she must have returned to Reception. How like Daisy, he thought, to have a shock like this and still return to work as soon as possible. His heart contracted. Seeing her so stunned and hurt had upset him. Despite her seeming resilience and constant insistence that she was perfectly fine by herself, he couldn’t help thinking that everyone needed someone in their lives and at the moment it seemed to him that she didn’t have anyone at all.

  As he stared out of the window and went over what he’d just witnessed, he could see why she’d refused to be with him when he was still married to Bella. She wasn’t going to allow anyone to push her back in their affections. He didn’t blame her. He needed to sort out this divorce and as quickly as possible if he wasn’t going to lose his chance of being with her.

  He sat down at the desk and dialled his lawyer. He was put through immediately. ‘Hi, this is Gabriel Wilson,’ he said. ‘I was wondering if you’ve been able to find a way that Bella and I can bring this divorce forward somehow? Your secretary seemed to think it was possible.’

  ‘Gabriel, I’ll have to be brief. I’ve got a client waiting in Reception for a meeting. Right, about your query, I’m sorry, my secretary is new and didn’t know the law about divorce,’ his lawyer, an old family friend, said. ‘Other than in special situations, of which your divorce is not one, your request for a divorce cannot be heard by the Court until you’ve been married for at least three years. I’m afraid there’s nothing you can do apart from wait.’

  He felt like someone had punched him in the stomach. ‘There must be some way we can make it happen,’ he said trying not to plead. ‘I’ve met someone,’ he admitted hoping it would help sway the lawyer, but knowing that if there was any way he could help Gabriel he would have done so by now.

  ‘I thought as much, Gabriel,’ he said, sounding sympathetic. ‘But there really isn’t anything I can do. Sorry, I’m in a bit of a rush, but if I do come up with anything I’ll let you know straight away. I can’t see it happening though. I’m sorry, but I won’t give you false hope.’

  Gabriel sighed. ‘I’m grateful for your honesty,’ he said aware that he was holding the poor man up from going to his meeting. ‘Thank you.’

  He rang off and replaced the phone on the receiver. Lowering his head into his hands he closed his eyes. He was usually so positive about everything, but this
time there didn’t seem to be an upside to his situation. He needed to stop panicking in order to think more clearly. There had to be a way to sort this out.

  Having arranged to meet Daisy back at the hotel to take her for a drink in St Aubin’s village a few hours later when her shift ended, he went back to his grandmother’s house for a bite to eat.

  ‘What’s wrong, darling?’ Lydia asked when he could only manage half of the omelette she’d cooked him. ‘You’ve barely touched your food and you usually have such a good appetite. Is there something wrong at the hotel I should know about?’

  He shook his head.

  ‘Then is there a problem between you and Daisy?’

  He smiled at her. ‘You always know me so well,’ he said, wondering how it must feel to Daisy not to have someone like his grandmother in her life. ‘I’ve discovered that in Jersey a request for a divorce can’t be heard by the Court during the first three years of a marriage. I’ve only been married to Bella for nine months, so I can’t get divorced for over two years and Daisy won’t consider being with me if I’m married to someone else.’

  He watched his grandmother mull over this news. ‘Three years? That’s ridiculous. Is this a new law?’

  ‘Fairly new,’ he said. ‘What am I going to do?’

  She thought for a moment. ‘Does Daisy know that you and Bella aren’t a couple in any way?’

  ‘Yes, I’ve told her and I’m pretty sure she believes me.’

  ‘It’s not as if you and Bella are still together and you’re seeing Daisy behind her back,’ she said thoughtfully. ‘I don’t understand why she’s got a problem seeing you.’

  ‘I understand her reasons,’ he said thinking about what he’d learned of her mother’s situation with her father. When his grandmother shrugged one shoulder and raised her eyebrows wishing for him to enlighten her, he shook his head. ‘I can’t tell you, it’s her story. But I do know why she feels this way. I just don’t know how to sort things out between us.’

  Lydia placed one of her hands on his forearm. The cool touch of her palm soothed him in the warm evening. ‘Gabriel, you never give in to problems,’ she said. ‘You always see them as a challenge; why are you being so defeatist this time?’